Green Factory of Tomorrow: Investigate KPIs based on new BEV-production, digitalization, circularity & local environment to create a carbon-neutral, green factory having a positive ecological impact

Various methods check the environmental and economic sustainability of production and manufacturing sites. Today, existing environmental indicators often consider factors such as water, waste and energy consumption. These indicators need to be applied to a holistic, ecologically, and economically sustainable assessment system for future trends, risks, and benchmarks to positively influence factories. Particular attention will be paid in the research project to the future automotive production – especially for newly planned production lines such as electric vehicle production – to design the green factory of the future. In the course of this production conversion, new resources and forms of production will be used that can form long-term and ecologically and economically sustainable steps on the way to the Green Factory of Tomorrow.

The goal is to shift the ecological future of production sites from reducing environmental impacts to sites with positive impacts, which provide the same ecological benefits as high-performing ecosystems. In this research project, measurable KPIs for environmental performance, a circular economy system and the design of a demonstration project are essential contributions to addressing the climate crisis, achieving carbon neutrality, and realizing the vision of positive impacts from manufacturing in the future. This project seeks significant cost reductions/ avoidances by improving operational efficiency and the management of natural resources and waste. Furthermore, new circular economy concepts can also be considered for profit generation.